The Megaton Militia
by The Shrubbery King
Summary: Mason Jonas is just a scav. He's no hero. Not like the Lone Wanderer anyways. But when an organised army of Super Mutants starts attacking his home, Mason decides that something needs to be done. It was a good thing he found that experimental tech just lying around not that long ago... (Just something I decided to write one day that ended up sitting on my hard drive for 2 years.)


Mason wasn't your average Capital Wasteland denizen. Sure, he made sure he survived by scraping together just enough caps to buy food, water, supplies and all the other stuff one needed, but he also wanted something more. He wanted to be able to wake up one day without noticing a new drip in his plumbing, or that something was growing in his food or to find out that the scrap metal floor was more comfortable than the awful mattress he had. Scavenging just wasn't going to cut the mustard. But if his Pip-Boy he found was anything to go by, his skills were somewhat lacking.

_Name: Mason Jonas_

_Strength: 4_

_Perception: 8_

_Endurance: 3_

_Charisma: 5_

_Intelligence: 6_

_Agility: 4_

_Luck: 10_

Judging from where he was, he was starting to think that it was most definitely broken in some way. Mason was almost twenty five years old, plenty of time to know that the wasteland was not a place for those without skills. He lived in a tiny house in Megaton which he built for himself, right next to The Common House.

Mason woke up in his uncomfortable, sheet-less bed. Scratching his short brown hair, he went to his sink to wash his face. He looked into the broken mirror, his dull green eyes staring back at him from underneath a fringe of greasy brown hair. Eventually he grew tired of his staring match with the mirror and went on with the rest of his routine.

Tuning into the only radio station worth listening to, GNR, he set about his morning routine. Purify water, drink said water, drain three bottles of Nuka Cola into his gullet, have a box of Blamco Mac and Cheese for breakfast, get dressed, take a shit, grab his trusty sledgehammer and a Blastmaster Helmet he stole from a destroyed Raider camp and head out of Megaton to the nearest abandoned factory or half-crumbled building to scavenge enough caps to keep himself alive for the next week or so.

The one good thing that had happened around Megaton was when the Lone Wanderer had set up shop in the small town after deactivating the nuke at the centre of the town. After some other random good deeds, people came to accept the Lone Wanderer. Hell, some people actually ran up to him with gifts and the like. Mason never really had the caps or the drive to be that generous.

As Mason exited the heavily fortified town, he waved goodbye to Deputy Weld, the stoic robotic sentinel standing guarding the gate. Now it was time to get to work.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

Mason was wandering through the wasteland, occasionally ducking out of sight of dangerous animals, stray robots or even a raider gang or two, when he saw the sheen of black metal glinting over a hill. He ducked down low and stopped breathing, because he knew what it meant. Three Dog, the radio host, had often broadcast warnings about the Enclave in his shows.

He should have heard bolts of plasma being fired in his general direction by now, but there wasn't any. Climbing ever so slowly up the hill, he saw that the Enclave camp had been ruined! Several black metal barricades were overturned, dead Enclave soldiers collapsed over them. An officer was laying slumped over a terminal, a large burn on his back. Mason inspected the armour of the Enclave troops and when he tried to pull one up, ash started pouring from the cracks in the ruined armour! He also noticed a lot of Enclave troops were piled up against a stack of locked black metal cages containing some very interesting looking containers, most of which pried open with their contents either looted or destroyed.

"Well now I know who did it. Raiders aren't smart enough to use laser weapons." Mason snorted. Heavy tread-less boot prints in the dust around the hill proved that it was the Brotherhood of Steel who had done this.

Mason didn't like the Brotherhood much. They said that they were looking out for the safety of humanity, but many tales had been told of Brotherhood members ransacking towns for advanced technology, even if that technology was the sole reason that town was staying alive. But that didn't mean he liked the Enclave one bit either.

Satisfied he had identified the culprits, Mason started his looting. Most of what was valuable was taken, but the Brotherhood had left behind plenty of scrap metal as well as other things. He even found a perfectly functioning plasma pistol on the body of the officer! Just a shame all the energy cells were taken.

Mason looked at the terminal and saw that it was unlocked. Heaving the dead officer's body out of the way, he started tapping around on the keyboard, curious as to why the Enclave was so close to Megaton.

**Officer's Log, Day 3 Post Raven Rock, 0300**

**It's been a long night. Too long some of the men are saying. Ever since Raven Rock got blown to pieces we've been wandering this damned wasteland like a bunch of lost sheep. Colonel Autumn has tried to keep contact with us through radio, but it keeps getting jammed by damned GNR signals.**

**I fear for the men. The Raiders we've encountered haven't fazed them, but it's causing our supplies to dwindle. We've had a couple of close calls with Yao Guai and even a Deathclaw, and I swear we're being followed. The Brotherhood probably wants to get their hands on our shipment. I just hope we can deliver it to the new base without much of a hassle.**

**It's going to be daybreak soon, and the faster we can ge4t5g7yu6t6jgr6j…**

The rest of the log just turned to random letters and numbers, but then Mason remembered the officer's head's original position slammed on the keyboard. Mason looked back at the metal cage and inspected the lock on it. As he predicted, the Brotherhood hadn't even bothered picking the lock and just tried to blast it open with a laser but the bolt had stayed firmly in place.

"Well, time for the hard part of my job." Mason sighed as he took the sledgehammer off his back.

Using the kind of skill and precision you'd find in a world class golfer, Mason swung the sledgehammer into the lock, completely busting the half melted lock and breaking the bar keeping the cage door closed in one swing.

"Jackpot." He grinned.

Mason dragged open the cage and pulled out the giant container. He was surprised to find that it was extremely heavy.

"The hell is in this, bricks?" Mason groaned as he pulled at the handles.

Mason speculated what could be inside it when he popped open the lid open, he saw what exactly was weighing it down.

It was a giant gleaming black suit of armour, much like the ones the dead Enclave strewn around him wore, but it was slightly different. The giant shoulder guards were much thicker and heavier looking than the regular troops, as were the boots except they had several vicious looking studs on the bottom. The chest piece was very slick and advanced looking and several tubes ran off from the body to the helmet which instead of having the two small and beetle like yellow eyes, was one large yellow visor and four vaguely horn shaped antennae protruded from the head. Lying next to the armour was another sledgehammer of all things. Mason was hoping for a super sledge, but he couldn't have everything, right?

In a compartment by the armour was a holodisk. Mason picked it up curiously and downloaded its contents onto his Pip-Boy.

"Huh. Looks like some kind of operation manual." He said, looking over the information. "Looks like this armour is some experiment called the Rhino Suit. Very interesting…"

Mason looked at the operation manual and back at the armour.

"Well, finders keepers right?"

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

It took Mason quite a while to finally get a handle on the Enclave technology. The suit wasn't quite as hard to control as he had expected it to be. Over his back he had slung his freshly repaired sledgehammer. Apparently his new Rhino suit was able to increase his strength an impressive amount thanks to all that artificial muscle, and although the helmet obscured his vision somewhat he did like the feeling of a nice big piece of metal protecting his head from any incoming projectiles.

_Strength: 7 (+)_

Mason peered through the visor around the wasteland, wondering if he could find something to test his new armour on. At that exact moment, the gods of Random Encounters decided to throw Mason a curveball.

"Get 'im boys!" came a wild, chem crazed shout from behind Mason. He turned around just to see a missile of all things whizz past his head, exploding on a hill behind him. A gang of seven raiders were charging towards him, two front runners armed with lead pipes, several others wisely and safely behind them, plinking at his armour with rusty looking hunting rifles and Chinese pistols and the one Raider who somehow managed to get their grubby mitts on a missile launcher.

Mason leapt into action, taking the sledgehammer from his back and catching both Raiders in the ribs with a single swing of the hammer, flinging them to the side with extreme force. The studs on Mason's heavy steel boots sunk into the ruined tarmac as he charged the other Raiders, shouldering straight through them and towards the still reloading missile launcher Raider.

"Mother of fuck!" the woman shouted, flinging the launcher at him before digging out a switchblade and trying to stab it into Mason's thick armour. The blade snapped clean in two, the falling blade stabbing into the raider's toe, causing her to scream in pain and fall to the ground. Mason allowed himself a grin.

_Luck: 10_

Mason brought his hammer down on the Raider's head, sending gore and blood everywhere. The other Raiders continued firing at Mason, but they were backing away instead of advancing. Mason picked up a missile the woman was trying to load into the launcher and tossed up before using the sledgehammer like a baseball bat and smacking it towards the group of fleeing Raiders. One made the mistake of shooting it in mid-air and it exploded, sending the Raiders flying backwards with torn limbs, broken bones and mushed organs.

Mason picked up his sledgehammer and put it back on his back before making sure the Raiders were all dead before looting their bodies for caps, chems and ammo. Mason also picked up the launcher and any missiles left before making his way back to Megaton.

"Man, I hope these studs don't dent my floor." He thought aloud.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

After Mason read the manual again on his long walk back to Megaton and found out that the studs were in fact retractable, he had arrived back at Megaton. It was nearly eight o'clock, and he found the robot greeter outside Megaton to be a little more hostile than usual.

"HALT. ENCLAVE INSIGNIA DETECTED. IDENTIFY YOURSELF OR BE ELIMINATED." The mechanical deputy barked.

"It's only me Weldy. Mason Jonas, remember?" He said, taking off the helmet.

The robot clicked and whirred a while before lowering its arms. "FACIAL PATTERN RECOGNISED. ENTRY RIGHTS GRANTED. YOU MAY PROCEED."

Mason decided then that he should keep the helmet off when he wore the armour around Megaton. When he entered the gates, a lot of people gasped in shock at him as he trudged past. He guessed he may have looked imposing in a giant black suit of armour. A fine departure from his normally scrawny physique. He was just about to enter Craterside Supply when he ran into the town sheriff.

"Now what the hell have you found this time?" Lucas Simms asked, tipping back his hat. "Having one guy clanking around in power armour at night is bad enough for my sleeping patterns. I think I may have to start issuing licences to guys like you. And how are you using it? I thought you needed special training or something to use power armour."

"I found it at a ransacked Enclave camp. It looked like the Brotherhood had already called dibs on what they wanted, so I helped myself to a little experimental tech." Mason shrugged, but in the armour it looked like a small black mountain had gotten the shivers. "As to how I learned to use it, I read the manual. How else?"

The town Sherriff looked at Mason dubiously before shaking his head. "Well anyways, I have a request for you. A few people have already voiced fears of the Enclave trying to invade Megaton, and if you go parading up and down the street in that kind of getup, people are going to start getting violent."

"I can't just get rid of it." Mason protested.

"Damn right you can't, that shit looks valuable. So may I request you give it a new coat of paint? Something to make residents know you're not with the Enclave when you wear that hunk of metal." Lucas said. "I hear Moira's putting paint guns on sale now that she knows they're the perfect thing for dart guns."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

After Moira Brown got over the initial shock of seeing Mason in a suit of giant power armour, she gladly traded with him. She gave him a very good price for all the ammo he picked up as well as his missiles and plasma pistol.

After going to Megaton's Hydro Plant and selling off all his scrap metal, Mason went back to his house before getting out of his power armour. Going inside and getting himself a change of clothes, he came back outside to meet a man wearing a set of Brotherhood of Steel power armour. On his back rested a powerful looking gauss rifle and a dog sat obediently at his side, panting loudly.

"Hey Mason, long time no see." The Lone Wanderer said, raising a hand in greeting.

"Nice to see you again too George." Mason said. "How've you been?"

"Eh, same old same old. Killing super mutants, rescuing hostages, giving water to beggars, that sort of stuff."

"You're a real paragon, you know that?" Mason said sceptically. He'd actually seen the so-called 'Last, Best Hope for Humanity' rummaging through his cupboard for loose caps and stimpacks once before he tried to pick his pocket. They'd been friends ever since.

"Eh. Somebody's got to do it." He shrugged before leaning around Mason and spying the shiny black armour inside. "So what have you got there?"

"I found it and no, you can't have it. Some Brotherhood raiding party ambushed a bunch of Enclave and made off with most of their stuff, except this since it was locked in a cage and they couldn't get the lock open." Mason explained. "Simms doesn't want me going around town dressed like an Enclave trooper, so I'm going to give it a few defining markings. Want to help?"

"Sure. Not like I had anything better to do." He shrugged, grabbing a paint gun and helping Mason out with the new paintjob.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

The next day, Mason was able to admire their handiwork. Down the chest of the armour were two wide bright yellow stripes matching the colour of the visor. The boots had a black and yellow hazard warning detailing over the top and the giant shoulder guards had a yellow nuclear bomb stencilled onto it. He'd also made sure that all Enclave markings were removed.

"Very nice." Mason said. A small group of people started to gather around to look at the giant suit of armour.

"Hey, isn't that Enclave tech?" someone from the crowd asked.

"Hey yeah!"

"Why do you have it?"

"What are you planning?"

Mason was trying to prevent the crowd from turning into a mob when Lucas Simms arrived.

"Everyone, please calm down. Mason just found this hunk of metal when he was out scavenging yesterday. He's not working with the Enclave, so relax. We've got this under control." He said.

The crowd seemed satisfied with this answer and dispersed, returning to their daily activities.

"Thanks for that Sherriff." Mason said gratefully.

"Anytime Mason. I hope you don't get killed because of that thing." He said, nodding at the armour.

"Hey, don't worry about me. If anything, it should make you feel safer. I'd gladly use this to protect Megaton." Mason said, hoping his words wouldn't lead to anything prophetic happening.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

Mason was hanging around in Moriarty's saloon, getting a lot of attention. Not all of it was bad however, as many people offered to buy him a beer, to which he gladly accepted.

The radio that was playing suddenly cut to a loud and unnerving beeping that cut through the various conversations in the bar.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have an important announcement to make." The voice of Three Dog crackled through the radio, uncharacteristically serious. "The Brotherhood of Steel has reported that a rogue gang of Super Mutants have begun moving to the south-west, directly towards Megaton. It's likely that the freaks are planning to use the deactivated nuclear bomb there and rearm the nuke before using it to destroy the Brotherhood Citadel. So this is a message to all my children in Megaton. Run. Run for your goddamned lives and don't stop until you've reached Tenpenny Tower. These mutants mean business, and the Brotherhood can't be everywhere at once. Your little town's about to become a battleground, and whatever's left standing isn't gonna be pretty. This is Three Dog signing off."

The ghoul barkeeper clicked the radio off and returned an unopened beer onto the shelf.

"Was what he said true?" someone asked.

"Most likely." The barkeeper shrugged. "Three Dog's not one to lie in his broadcasts."

"So does this mean…" Mason said, trailing off.

"Yep." The ghoul said. "We're all royally fucked."

Mason stood up from the bar marched out the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked the barkeeper.

"To find George." Mason said.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

Mason found George at Megaton's gates, gauss rifle in hand and helmet on his head. Now that Mason thought about it, George never once removed his helmet. He swore the guy slept in that armour as well!

"Did you hear?" Mason panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Oh yeah. The broadcast came straight onto my Pip-Boy." He said, turning to Mason.

"Then you know we've gotta do something right? The Brotherhood isn't going to be enough by the sound of it. Megaton's got to make some kind of militia." Mason said.

"No. We'd need a freaking army." George argued.

"We've got you, you're the next best thing." Mason said. "You weren't planning on jumping ship were you?"

"Heck no! I'm going to see if Dogmeat and I can't intercept those Super Mutants before they reach Megaton." He said.

"Are you seriously planning on killing every single one of them?" Mason asked. "That's impossible!"

"Hey, I've done some ballsier stuff than this. Remind me to tell you about Mothership Zeta sometime." George laughed. "Oh yeah, and Operation Anchorage. That's where I got this sweet power armour. This thing never wears out."

"Hold on, maybe we don't need an army." Mason though aloud. "If I can teach people how to operate power armour, we might stand a chance against the mutants."

"Do you know how much power armour we'd need for that?" George scoffed.

"Yeah. Lots. And I think I know where we can get it." Mason grinned.

George's helmet tilted questioningly. "Where? Are you going to pull it out of your butt or something?"

"For all their good points, the Brotherhood of Steel aren't very good at cleaning up their messes." Mason said. "There's a crapton of Enclave power armour just lying in the DC sun, just waiting for someone to use it."

George seemed to consider this fact as he put a hand up to his helmet in thought. "Alright, you have a point. But how are we going to get it all back to Megaton?"

"Leave that to me." Mason said.

_Speech: 51_

Later in the day, Mason had gotten into his power armour, his helmet tucked under his arm and clambered to the top of the bomb, much to the chagrin of the Church of Atom.

"Citizens of Megaton, I have an important announcement to make!" Mason shouted at the top of his lungs.

People from all over Megaton downed tools, stopped eating or poked their heads out of their houses to see what all the commotion was about. Mason tapped his boot on the bomb, the loud metallic thud causing a shudder through the crowd.

"As I'm sure you've all heard that Megaton will be besieged by Super Mutants in our near future! We have been told to run from these mutants, since they pose a great threat to us! Well I won't! Because I believe we can beat these mutants!" Mason announced.

Mason pointed to the sky before whipping his arm down towards the bomb at his feet.

"This is what Megaton was built around! This bomb that was deactivated by the Lone Wanderer when he first came to Megaton without a second thought is part of our community!" he spoke. "The Super Mutants want to steal it and use it as a weapon for war! A war against those who protect us! I will not run away from this when there is more than my life on the line. Here will be the site where the fate of the whole Capital Wasteland will be decided!"

"But how are we supposed to beat them? We barely have any weapons!" came a shout from the crowd.

Mason threw his arms out wide. "I am wearing your answer right now! There are hundreds of suits of Enclave power armour lying in the sun and the heat, waiting to be taken, claimed for our cause! Claimed to defend Megaton! We have capable people, like Lucas Simms and Jericho and myself who can scavenge weapons and ammunition from raider camps and Enclave bases!"

"Hey, don't go counting me in!" Jericho shouted, annoyed that he'd been drafted.

"But most importantly, we have time. Time to prepare! As we speak, The Lone Wanderer is slowing down the tide of Super Mutants. He has given us a valuable commodity, and I suggest we use it well. I will not allow the Super Mutants to get their hands on this bomb. I will not allow them to steal Megaton and use it for evil. Are you with me?!" Mason shouted to the crowd.

A great cheer went up from the crowd as they raised their fists in support.

_[Speech Check: Success]_

Mason jumped down from the atomic warhead and into the radioactive water below before putting on the helmet.

"Then let's get to work." He nodded.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

Moira Brown had never seen so many customers trying to get into her shop at once, but she had another problem. She was running out of weapons to sell! She even had to start turning her junk into weapons and accidentally created two new ones in the process! Ever since Mason's speech, the entire town had been a hive of activity. Even the normally bitter Jericho had decided to pitch in for the effort to defend Megaton by signing up for the Megaton Militia, organised by Mason and Lucas Simms. Mason had actually been put in charge of a squad consisting of Jericho the self-proclaimed washed up raider, Leo Sthal who was better known as the proprietor of the Brass Lantern, and finally Alex, a woman who did odd jobs around Megaton and frequently provided scrap for the water plant.

After a few hours had passed most of the residents of Megaton had set up the Megaton Militia's headquarters outside Megaton. It was a large hangar like building made from whatever metals the residents could get their hands on. When construction had finished, the newly promoted Commander Simms began his debriefing.

"Alright boys and girls, these Super Mutants are planning on giving us a hell of a fight, so we've got to be prepared. Mason's team and several others are going to try and claim some more Enclave tech while the rest of us go scavving for weapons. Some high grade explosives wouldn't go amiss either. So grab whatever good quality guns you can and we'll all meet back here when you're done." Simms ordered. "Alright, let's get to work."

Mason and his team went to the armoury to claim their weapons. Mason grabbed his sledgehammer and a plasma pistol, Jericho went straight for his old and faithful Chinese assault rifle, Leo tentatively picked up two Chinese pistols and Alex grabbed a combat shotgun.

"Alright team, let's move out." Mason said. "Our first priority is getting some armour for all of you, and fortunately I know exactly where some dead Enclave are, their armour mostly intact."

"Yeah, but how the hell are we supposed to get it back here?" Alex asked. "It's not exactly light."

"I'm going to teach you how to operate it." Mason said, showing them the glowing device on his wrist. "I've got the instruction manual on my Pip-Boy. Why carry it when we can use it?"

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

The group of four arrived at the camp without much incident. Alex glanced over the dead bodies of the Enclave and shuddered.

"The Brotherhood did this?" Alex asked.

"Eh, I've seen worse." Jericho shrugged before grabbing one of the helmets off the Enclave. A whole skull dropped off the body of the Enclave before hitting the ruined tarmac and disintegrating, the ashes blowing away in the wasteland's bitter winds. "Okay, that's the creepiest thing I've seen, but not the worst."

Mason watched his team busily taking the armour off the dead Enclave when he saw a few red blips appear on his HUD.

_Perception: -6_

"Everyone, get your weapons out!" Mason said, taking the sledgehammer off his back and drawing his plasma pistol. "We've got company!"

Jericho was the first to start shooting when a gang of Raiders appeared from over the hill. The others dropped pieces of armour and got ready for a fight. Mason narrowed his eyes and fought the urge to flee. He was wearing almost a cubic metre of steel damn it, he didn't need to run! Not to mention he needed to protect his squad.

Leo started firing off both pistols at the crowd of at least twenty Raiders attacking, the small bullets sticking into the legs and chests of some Raiders, but they kept on advancing. A hail of lead came down the hill as the Raiders charged, assault rifle fire spraying indiscriminately. Fortunately since it was so scattered, they were able to dodge around it easily. Around five Raiders came rushing for the group, armed with everything from lead pipes and tyre irons to a ripper!

"Take out the front runners!" Mason shouted, firing plasma at the running Raiders.

"I got it!" Alex shouted, lifting up her combat shotgun before blowing the leg off a Raider, reducing him to a bloody pile of swearing and pain. The other Raiders ignored their fallen comrade and instead kept charging, much to Jericho's delight.

"Kick ass, you sons of bitches!" Jericho roared, emptying magazine after magazine at the advancing Raiders, felling them one after another like trees.

Around five of the ranged Raiders had fallen, but most of the runners were too close for comfort. One was just about to give Jericho a lead pipe lobotomy when his head exploded into a shower of gore. Jericho looked over and saw Leo, both smoking Chinese pistols aimed at the now dead Raider.

"This doesn't mean we're friends, got it?" Jericho barked, sliding the mag into his rifle.

"Yeah. Sure." Leo said before turning to shoot at the advancing Raiders.

Mason pushed past, heaving his sledgehammer over his head and bringing it down on a Raider, crushing his head like a walnut. The studs in his boots found traction in the dust and he shoulder charged at a Raider who had enough sense to stop running directly at the guy in full power armour with nothing but a switchblade. As Mason ploughed into him, the Raider behind turned tail and ran, but Mason wasn't having any of it.

_Melee Weapons: 71 (+)_

The artificial muscles in his suit creaked as Mason heaved his sledgehammer and tossed it at the Raider, the heavy hammer head slamming into the Raider's brittle spine and shattering the vertebrae. Seeing this, the other charging Raiders immediately turned and ran back to their friends, who were also fleeing over the hills. Leo ran up to Mason, who was breathing heavily through his helmet.

"How'd you learn to do that?" Leo asked as Mason tore the hammer out of the Raider's corpse.

"I read it in a Grognak the Barbarian comic. Issue 427. You know the one where Warlord Kuga throws his big-ass hammer into Grognak's face?"

"Heck yeah, that was awesome!" Leo said.

"I know, right?" Mason nodded.

Alex sighed and shook her head. "What a bunch of dorks."

"That's a fuckin' understatement." Jericho snorted.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

After teaching the rest of his team how to operate the armour, Mason and his team made their way back to Megaton, loaded down with ammo, some sparse stimpacks, assault rifles, submachine guns, pistols and frag grenades.

"Man, I hope we don't get spotted by Brotherhood." Leo said nervously.

"Don't worry, we'll be back at Megaton soon." Mason said, pointing ahead at the town. The town's giant gate had been closed, presumably to keep out any super mutant scouts.

As Mason's team approached the gate, the voice of the greeter robot crackled from an intercom that had been set up.

"ARMOUR EMBLEM RECOGNISED. ACCESS GRANTED. PLEASE PROCEED." The newly declared Sherriff Weld beeped.

The giant scrap doors opened and the team marched into Megaton, towards Craterside Supply.

"Why are we going to Moira's shop?" Leo asked, his voice slightly muffled by the insect like helmet.

"Moira's the only one here who's got the skill and know-how to repair our equipment if it has any damage, not to mention she's been enlisted to repair the Militia's equipment, free of charge." Mason said, heavy boots marching above the doctor's office.

When the group entered Craterside Supply, they found Moira tinkering by the workbench with a vacuum cleaner, a fire hose nozzle, wood chipper, two conductors and about five fusion batteries with four Nuka Cola bottles standing upright beside it filled with some kind of strange glowing mixture.

"Hey, it's the Militia! You guys are just in time, I've been making something special just for you!" she said cheerfully. "Tadaa! I call it a Fusion Mortar!"

"What does it do?" Alex asked.

"Well, I haven't really had time to test it, but it should fire these bottles full of plasma like a mortar where the bottles explode on impact! Pretty neat, huh?" she said, waving the disturbingly glowing bottles in her hand.

"That sure does sound destructive." Leo whistled.

"Wait, you put plasma in Nuka Cola bottles? How?" Alex asked.

"Who the fuck cares?" Jericho asked.

"Anyway, we need a few things repaired and a new paintjob for our armour." Mason said, indicating to their scavenged technology.

"Okay! It'll be done before you can say 'Wowee, what a cool paintjob!'" she gushed.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

Later in the evening, the Megaton Militia were recounting what they had achieved that day. Moira had tested/demonstrated her new weapon, much to the applause of Militia members. Simms commissioned at least twenty of them be built for the Explosives Team and permanent schematics made before the super mutants showed up. Three more members had joined up, one of which was Moriarty, who had been convinced (paid) to become the town sniper.

Commander Simm's squad had also made quite a bit of progress in scavenging, finding enough supplies to make five Rock-It Launchers and plenty of ammo. Someone else had actually found the schematics for something called a Railway Rifle, and the rest of the Militia was eager to get the parts for it. Not to mention another group had been creating suits of armour out of scrap metal. Not as sturdy as the power armour, but it was something for members of the Militia who couldn't control the imposing power armour.

Simms himself had located a group of passing Raiders turned mercenaries and drafted them into the Militia. One of them also turned out to be a savant at making ammunition, and he had been making ammunition for all the kinds of weapons they had. 10mm rounds, shotgun shells, magnum rounds and even the railway spikes they needed for the Railway Rifle.

But it was Mason's contribution that turned the most heads. Not just stocking up the militia's armoury with explosives and high grade weaponry, but when his team walked in wearing the repainted Enclave armour, the Militia stood up and cheered. The armour was repainted to be gunmetal grey instead of black and the bright yellow stripes going down the front of the armour contrasted nicely. Jericho couldn't resist welding a few intimidating looking spikes onto the right shoulder of his armour as well as tinting the eyes of his helmet red. Jericho, Alex, Leo and Mason wore the emblem of the yellow warhead on their shoulders with pride. Jericho, not so much. He was just happy to shoot things again.

"Alright, listen up people!" Commander Simms said, reading off a clipboard. "We've made a lot of progress, but there's still much more to be done! I suggest you pack it in and be ready to go at 0600 hours!"

A knock came from the door of the Militia HQ and Commander Simms went to investigate. Opening the door, he saw the world's most famous radio show host in the flesh, grinning with a holotape recorder in his hand.

"Hey there wastelanders, how've you been?" Three Dog asked.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

"When old Three Dog heard that you guys were planning on staying and fighting the muties rather than running with your tail between your legs, I thought you were all fuckin' idiots at first. But then I heard residents of Megaton were making off with Enclave tech, robbing Raiders and doin' all kinds of crazy shit, so I just had to come and investigate. And now that I'm here, I can safely say that you guys are bat shit crazy. Crazy, but you might just be able to beat the muties with the Brotherhood's help." Three Dog smirked.

"What are you proposing?" Simms asked.

"The Brotherhood is considering helping you guys out by donating some weapons to your cause." Three Dog explained. "Now, they're not in the best condition, but from what I've heard Moira is fixing up just about anything you kids bring her with expert quality."

"Oh stop it you." Moira giggled.

"While that does sound like a good proposition, I can't help but feel that the Brotherhood is going to want something important in return." Mason said, crossing his arms.

"And you happen to be wearing it." Three Dog said. "The Brotherhood of Steel will give you guys quality munitions in exchange for all that high tech armour you guys have got there."

"Now look here. Quality weaponry aside, I don't think we can afford to lose our ace in the hole here." Commander Simms said. "Our Armoured Squads are the best we've got in the absence of the Lone Wanderer, and we can't give away the only advantage we've got. It's unlikely we'll find any new Enclave armour prototypes just lying around in the wastes."

Three Dog thought for a minute before speaking again. "But think about what the Brotherhood could do with that technology! They could make their power armour twice as strong with that tech!"

"Even if they could improve their armour, it would be too late for Megaton. As you've said, the Brotherhood can't be everywhere at once." Mason said. "The Lone Wanderer is giving us time, but it won't be enough to integrate my armour into theirs. Not to mention there's no promise we'll get a replacement. So I'm sorry, but our decision is final."

Three Dog sighed and put up his hands. "Alright, you win. I can see your reasoning behind wanting to keep that power armour. Though I can't see the Brotherhood being all that happy about your decision."

"However, after these super mutants are dealt with, if the Brotherhood of Steel is still willing to give us the weapons and aid they were offering, then I'll give them my armour." Mason said. "We also want them to let us stay as an independent settlement. Surviving is one thing, but living under someone else is another."

"That's good enough for me. You've got yourselves a deal!" Three Dog said cheerfully.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

A few days later, a squad of Brotherhood of Steel members entered Megaton. They marched up to Mason and his team behind Commander Simms, who now wore a beret Moira made for him.

"That's some armour." One of the Brotherhood Knights whistled through his helmet as he spied Mason and his team.

"The red eyed one looks freakin' intimidating." Replied his friend.

"I think that's the point. Must be an Ex-Raider by the looks of it." Another Knight said.

"Quiet in the ranks!" barked their leader, a stoic looking Paladin with closely cropped hair as they greeted Simms. "So, you guys are the Megaton Militia? Looks more like a group of playmates."

"Hey, fuck you too buddy." Jericho snarled.

"We've got plenty more members in the barracks. These guys are just what you might call one of our elite units." Simms said politely.

"What do you call 'em?" asked a knight.

"The Mason Brigade." Mason said, taking off his helmet. "And I'm their leader, Lieutenant Mason."

"Ah, the second in command." The Paladin said. "I'm Paladin Free. I command the fourth Knight squad you see behind me."

"Where's the guns you promised us?" Jericho asked irritably.

"They're dropped out the front of the gate." The Paladin said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

"Good. We'll get some of our Recruits to pick 'em up." Simms said. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Where can we drop our gear?" the paladin asked.

"You guys can use the Common House just by Moriarty's Saloon. Everybody moved outta there as soon as the Militia was created." Simms said.

"Thanks. Alright company, move out!" the paladin ordered.

After the Knights moved into the Common House, Alex took off her helmet and glared at Mason.

"What?" Mason asked.

"The Mason Brigade? Really?" Alex asked, looking down her nose at Mason.

"Were we supposed to vote on this? Because I don't remember every voting on a name." Leo said.

"Why don't you suck your own dick while you're at it?" Jericho spat.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

Mason was in his house, drinking another two or three bottles of Nuka Cola when he tuned into GNR.

"Helloooo, Capital Wasteland! It is I, Three Dog, here with the news!" crackled his voice through the speaker. "You guys all remember Megaton, right? Well here's something you'd all better hear. Megaton has set up its own Militia, and now they're planning on fighting back the muties! I don't know if they're dumb as a sack of hammers or just plain crazy, but they mean serious business. And now that they've got the boys and girls of the Brotherhood of Steel backing 'em up, the Megaton Militia might just make it. Thanks for listenin' children, this is-"

Mason clicked the radio off and put his feet up, savouring the last of his Nuka Cola. Then he heard a series of short sharp knocks coming from his door. Getting up and opening it, he saw that it was one of the Militia Light Units in the standard metal armour. It was glinting silver in the afternoon sunlight and two matte yellow stripes had been painted horizontally across the armour's chest. A yellow and black radioactivity warning had been splashed across the back of the armour for easy identification.

"Lieutenant Mason sir!" the woman saluted. "Commander Simms requests your presence at the barracks! The Lone Wanderer's dog has returned carrying a message!"

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

Dogmeat liked Moira Brown. She was always very nice to him and gave him food whenever his master came to sell things to her.

"Who's a good doggy? Who's a good vitally important information bearing pooch, huh? You are! Yes you are!" Moira said, scratching Dogmeat behind the ears and on his belly. He loved that.

Mason burst through the metal door, startling Dogmeat out of his euphoria and galloping over to him before leaping up and pawing against his chest.

"Good boy Dogmeat, good boy." Mason said absent-mindedly, focusing instead on Commander Simms. "So what was so important I had to cancel my Nuka break for it?"

"It's a message from George. The super mutants are bringing some pretty heavy backup." Simms said, holding up a yellowed sheet of paper.

"How heavy?" asked Paladin Free as the Brotherhood detachment entered the barracks.

"Well, let me put it this way. It's a Behemoth sized problem." Simms said. "The mutants are brining four Behemoths with them to attack Megaton. It used to be six, but two were taken care of by the Lone Wanderer. Picked 'em off with that gauss cannon of his. He reckons he might be able to take down another one of them, but only if we're lucky."

Mason and the Brotherhood felt like they'd been hit in the gut with a super sledge. One Behemoth would have been barely manageable, but four of them? They'd be lucky if the town was left standing.

"Okay, now Megaton really has to evacuate. If it needed to before, it certainly does now." Paladin Free said. "Knights! Relay the news to the townsfolk and organise an escape! We need Megaton deserted by tonight!"

"Hold your horses Free, the Lone Wanderer's written something else." Simms said, raising the raggedy note. "He's said that he's got a bunch of weapons in his house that might just let us pick off the Behemoths one by one."

"Are you kidding me? Nothing of that kind of power exists! Those things can take a mini nuke to the face and shrug it off! What could that guy possibly have that can kill one of those things in one shot?!" exclaimed a Knight.

"Dunno, but he's given us the key to his house." Commander Simms said, taking a worn looking key from the letter. "Oh, and he says this. 'P.S: You'd better return everything you guys use or I'll shove a Fat Man up your ass and launch a mini nuke straight up your colon.'"

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

Mason, the Brotherhood detachment and Commander Simms were outside the residence of the famed Lone Wanderer. The Last, Best Hope of Humanity. Slayer of Super Mutants and Conqueror of the Enclave. The Saviour of The Capital Wasteland. Master Thief of Loose Caps and Stimpacks.

Moira Brown was standing outside with Dogmeat, who wanted to see what George's house looked like, but was a little scared to enter.

Lucas Simms' hand shook as he carefully unlocked and opened the door, not knowing what to expect inside. The door creaked open and all that had gathered gasped. The whole place was decked out to look like a science nut's wet dream, which is why Moira had to take a few deep breaths before continuing in. An imposing looking suit of Enclave Tesla armour stood at attention at the far end of the house, a large machine of some description was situated in the middle of the room with a powerful looking plasma weapon resting on it. A Deathclaw hand had been nailed to one wall and an unfinished looking rifle of some description was lying on the workbench.

Simms walked up to the bobblehead display stand and examined them closer. "Hold on a second, isn't that my bobblehead?" he asked, peering closer at the Strength Bobblehead. "It is! I was wondering where that darn thing went. How'd he get his hands on it?"

"I'm more fascinated by how he managed to store all of his weapons into a single locker. I can count two Chinese assault rifles, a minigun, a rocket launcher, a freaking fat man, about a billion grenades…" counted a Knight, looking into the locker's seemingly infinite depths.

"Why does he have a set of T51-B power armour in a refrigerator?" asked an understandably confused Knight before Dogmeat ran up to the fridge, grabbed a gecko on a stick and started chewing on it contently.

"If you ladies are quite done window shopping, we need to find that weapon." Barked Paladin Free.

"Come to think of it, he didn't say where it was, and we don't know what it looks like." Mason said.

_Perception: 6 (-)_

"Guess he didn't think of that." Simms said. "Alright men, let's find that weapon!"

Dogmeat's ears pricked up and sniffed around, searching for what the team was all searching for. Moira took a look in the locker nearest to the workbench and gawked when she saw fifteen Deathclaw hands lying on top of each other. Paladins looked in the fridge, lockers, desks and even the filing cabinet and under the bed, but they couldn't find it anywhere!

"Where the hell is it?" Mason asked, sitting down on seemingly the only chair in the entire house. Dogmeat started sniffing at the Nuka Cola machine and started pawing at it. Mason sat up and looked at Dogmeat. "Are you sure it's in there Dogmeat?"

Dogmeat looked at Mason and sat down, panting.

"Alright, if you say so." Mason said, prying open the machine. He was both pleasantly surprised and alarmed at what he saw. The entire machine was filled with frosty bottle of Nuka Cola, but among the bottles of ice cold cola he had stored some kind of modified Fat Man, a tiny yet absurdly advanced looking laser pistol, a laser rifle that had what looked like a diamond on the end of it, a bunch of grenades that looked like they were made from tin cans and a highly modified missile launcher!

"God damn, this Lone Wanderer guy's hoarding weapons like Armageddon is coming around again!" one of the Knights said.

"Please, with this much weaponry he's gonna cause Armageddon again." His friend snorted.

"Alright, let's take these weapons." Free ordered. "These damn mutant freaks won't know what hit 'em."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

"Alright everybody, listen up!" Commander Simms shouted as the Megaton Militia stood at attention in the centre of town, the Brotherhood of Steel already outside and on patrol. "We've got an estimated four days before those super mutants get here, and we'd better make some damn good use of that time! Mechanics Team, by the end of the day I want prototypes of Megaton's own kind of power armour in active testing!"

"Yes Commander!" Moira saluted as the new head of the Mechanics, Science and Research & Development Teams.

"Scavengers! We need much more ammo and stimpacks! Prioritise these over everything else you find, but be sure to bring back any Enclave armour you find!" Simms shouted. "Mason Brigade, I want you to begin training our best fighters in the use of power armour to strengthen the Heavy Armour Units. When you're done with that I want you to assist Moira in testing out her prototypes."

"Sir!" Mason saluted, as did most of his squad. Jericho just rolled his head and groaned at the name.

Simms nodded and turned to the other parts of the Militia. "As for the rest of you I want the Light Units to assist in fortifying our walls and deploying Fusion Mortars! Scout Team, find out the approximate locations of the super mutants and make contact with the Lone Wanderer! Dismissed!"

As the entire town ran off to do their respective jobs, Mason felt a little uneasy. He wasn't happy that the Brotherhood soldiers were the only ones who were allowed to use the Lone Wanderer's weapons, and he wasn't sure if Paladin Free would be all that willing to return them.

As the Brigade started training a former Light Unit squad, Mason saw that Moira had jumped the gun and was stomping around town in a set of very thick looking armour, the servos and artificial muscles inside clicking and whirring with each step.

"Hey guys! I managed to find out a way to have it work with only minimal training!" she said excitedly after taking off the armour's helmet. "I just put a whole bunch of motion sensors around key points to move the armour when you move that helps activate the muscles and servos. It's working almost perfectly!"

"Almost?" Jericho asked.

"Well… We still haven't figured out a way to get out of the armour without it going into a potentially life threatening spasm, but I'm sure we'll fix that by tomorrow!" she said confidently.

"Great job Moira." Mason said before turning to the trainees. "That doesn't mean we'll ease up with you. You guys will be wearing the Enclave Power armour that has been scavved from the wasteland, not Moira's prototype armour. Now let's go over how to put the armour on again…"

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

By the end of the day, almost everything had gone according to plan. The scavenger teams had found an abandoned hospital filled with stimpacks and chems, but they were unable to scrounge up that much ammunition. There was also enough armour found to make at least two more squads of four in the Heavy Armour Unit from all the Enclave Power Armour that had been brought back to Megaton. Now the Heavy Armour Unit was made up of three brigades.

Moira's power armour was also starting to take shape nicely and they'd finally figured out how to remove the person inside without resorting to a comically sized can opener. It also seemed the Research and Development Team had also refined Moira's second weapon schematic, a massive mounted cannon that fired garden gnomes with a highly explosive payload strapped to them.

"Moira, why does this thing fire garden gnomes?" Commander Simms asked upon his first inspection of the defence system.

Moira looked up from tightening a bolt and removed her goggles. "Why, for their aerodynamic qualities of course! Besides, don't those cute little gnomies just look like they want to fly towards a savage horde of angry super mutants with a destructive payload clutched in their little hands?" she asked.

"Uh… Sure. I guess." He said before quickly walking away, letting Moira return to her new weapon, muttering something about mad sciene.

Mason's team had also finished training up another team for the Heavy Armour Unit, who were all now wearing their repainted armour. Everything was going just fine until the gates to Megaton opened.

"Scout Team reporting!" shouted their leader. "We need to see Commander Simms immediately!"

"What is it soldier?" Simms asked as he walked towards the scout.

As Simms listened, his eyes began to widen. Seeing Simms grab the beret off his head and rub his shaking head, Mason leapt down to meet him.

"Sir? What's wrong?" Mason asked.

Simms sighed, putting on the beret again and looked Mason dead in the eye.

"Get all the men together. We've got a big problem."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

"Men, we've encountered some dire circumstances." Commander Simms said bluntly. "I'm not going to sugar coat this, so here it is. The Lone Wanderer was found by our scouts, clawing his way back here with the one good arm he had left. He's currently on a strict diet of Stimpacks, Med-X and Buffout issued by the Medical Team. He managed to kill at least twenty more Super Mutants before the Scout Team found him and brought him back here."

Many of the men and women of the Megaton Militia began to talk worriedly, concerned for the fate of their hero. The door opened to reveal Paladin Free flanked by two Knights.

"What did you say happened to the Lone Wanderer?" Free asked.

"George was put in critical condition by a detachment of Super Mutants sent to find and kill him. Needless to say it was a helluva fight, but George is going to survive. Hopefully." Simms said.

"I see. I'll have a medic of ours take care of him." Free said.

"Thank you Paladin Free. We should also be thankful that the Lone Wanderer has managed to kill so many of the attacking mutants." Simms nodded.

"So what's the part you're not telling us?" Paladin Free asked.

"The rest of the mutant force now will be here by tomorrow, Behemoths and all." Simms said grimly. "It seems they were much closer than we initially thought."

A deathly hush went over the crowd before a quiet whimpering shook throughout the troops. Eventually that whimpering turned to crying howls of despair. As Simms, Free, Mason and the rest of his team tried to calm them down, a shot was heard. Everyone turned to look at Jericho, smoking pistol in hand pointed at the roof.

"Now that I've got all your attention, listen up because I ain't gonna fucking repeat myself." Jericho said. "As much as I hate to admit it, that goody two shoes in critical condition has bought us enough time already. Look at us! We're not just some pissy backwater of a town ready to get slaughtered by one asshole with a rusty assault rifle! We're a kick-ass outfit better than any shitty raider camp I was once part of. These mutants are attacking our god damn homes, so let's put their heads so far up their own asses we'll make 'em stare at their own fucking teeth!"

When Jericho was finished, a huge cheer went up from the Militia. As they began to chant his name, Jericho felt a little warm and fuzzy inside.

"Thank you Jericho." Simms nodded. "Alright men, you know we haven't got much time left. Let's finish our defences, double time! Dismissed!"

As the rest of the Militia thundered off to complete their duties, Simms clapped a hand on Jericho's shoulder.

"Well done Sargent." He smirked before leaving to monitor the progress of the rest of the Militia.

"Looks like you got a promotion." Mason said. "Sergeant Jericho. Got a nice ring to it."

"Thanks, Lieutenant Jackass." Jericho snorted.

Alex turned to Leo, an indignant look on her face. "How come we don't get promotions?"

"You've got me there." Leo shrugged.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

That night, everyone was on edge. Barely anyone could sleep, and those that could would only do so fitfully. Lanterns had been set all around Megaton to better illuminate the area around in case they were attacked in the night. Mason looked around from his seat overlooking the entirety of Megaton, a bottle of ice cold Nuka Cola liberated from the Lone Wanderer's fridge. He was sure that he wouldn't notice one going missing. Even though it was still flat, it was infinitely better than the regular Nuka.

Footsteps on the metallic walkway alerted his presence to Commander Simms, who stood beside Mason with arms folded behind him.

"I never thought I'd see Megaton this awake before." Simms sighed, a smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah, you'd think that these were entirely different people from a few days ago." Mason said proudly.

"And it's all thanks to you and that armour you got." Simms nodded. "If you didn't make that big speech after the radio broadcast, we'd probably be begging on our knees to that asshole Tenpenny for access to his fancy tower."

"Yeah." Mason nodded. "I just hope that we'll be enough."

"With the Brotherhood on our side, you still have doubts?" Simms asked.

"I just have this nasty feeling that something's going to go wrong. Like our luck's going to run out." Mason said, taking another sip from his bottle of Nuka Cola.

"They're here! The Super Mutants are here!" came a panicked shout from outside as an explosion shook the entire populace of Megaton out of their fragile rest.

_Luck: 10_

"Looks like you were right Mason!" Simms said, drawing his sidearm. "Code Red! The Mutants are here! I repeat, Code Red!"

Snorting as he was awoken, Moriarty grabbed his sniper rifle and clambered to the very top of his Saloon. Putting his eye through the scope, he stared out at the advancing mutant forces. A line of at least fifty Super Mutants advanced on Megaton, some with super sledges, nail boards and other melee weapons while a good number stayed at the back, raining down 5mm bullets on the defences of Megaton. Illuminated by the fire of the miniguns was the four Behemoths in all their terrifying glory.

"I don't get paid enough for this shit." Moriarty gulped, dropping the rifle and turning around just in time to hear the click of a 44 magnum's hammer.

"Damn right you don't. That's why Commander Simms told me to keep an eye on you." Gob said, straightening his new beret and staring at his former boss from behind his new sunglasses. "Now get shooting soldier. Or I will."

Down at the front of the battlefield, the Brotherhood Knights were fighting off the Super Mutants, using the bodies of the fallen mutants as cover from the ripping minigun fire. The gate to Megaton opened and out poured the Megaton Militia, guns blazing. Super Mutants soaked up bullets like a leaden sponge, but a few well-thrown grenades tossed by the Explosives Team sent the front runners flying. The Light Units stationed on the walls rained down their explosive wrath on the incoming Behemoths, concentrating their fire on the closest one. Moira's Gnome Cannon barked ferociously as it sent a deadly garden gnome soaring into the face of the Behemoth. The gnome exploded, causing the titanic mutant to roar in agony before stumbling backwards, crushing a Super Mutant under its foot and knocking over another Behemoth. The Fusion Mortars also lit up the battlefield, the powerful blasts sending the mutants reeling. But still their army kept advancing.

"They just won't let up!" screamed one of the Explosives Team, firing a rocket straight at an advancing mutant, sending its corpse flying back the way it came.

"More of them are coming from the north!" shouted another of the Militia on the walls.

"Damn it!" Simms cursed. "Mason! Mobilise all Heavy Armour Units and get them to the north wall!"

"Understood!" Mason saluted. "Heavy Armour Units, on me!"

As Mason ran for the north wall, the troops in both repurposed and Moira's power armour filed in behind him, weapons at the ready. As they got to the wall, they saw a group of Super Mutants armed with super sledges, hunting rifles and most worryingly, a Fat Man.

The hair rose on Mason's back as he shouted to the others. "Target the one carrying the Fat Man! Mason Brigade, with me!"

As Mason leapt off the battlements of Megaton, the others gasped.

"Is he crazy?" Alex gasped.

"Let's fuckin' do this!" Jericho shouted, throwing himself from the wall as Leo followed suit.

Alex rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly. "Boys. Alright, the rest of you keep firing! I'm going to keep these dumbasses from dying."

As Alex vaulted over the edge, Mason landed with his studded metal boots straight into the unprepared face of a Super Mutant with a super sledge. Mason's weight crushed the head of the Super Mutant, sending the headless corpse tumbling to the ground and cushioning Mason's fall. As the rest of his squad performed a similar feat, Mason picked up the dead mutant's super sledge.

"I always wanted one of these." He grinned, taking his regular sledgehammer into his other hand.

_Melee Weapons: 71 (+)_

Alex, Leo and Jericho charged in, guns blazing. Jericho laughed as he peppered the incoming mutants with bullets from his Chinese Assault Rifle, Alex growled like a wild beast as the heads of any super mutants that dared to approach her exploded into vivid gore and Leo blasted away with his brand new Railway Rifle, nailing some Super Mutants to the ground by the feet where Mason would then break their ribcages in with both sledgehammer and super sledge. The fire from the other parts of the Heavy Armour Units above them rained down on the mutants that tried to backdoor Megaton, felling them like trees. However it seemed the Fat Man mutant was ignoring the intense gunfire, aiming for the sheet metal wall. The studs on Mason's steel boots dug up the ground as he charged at the mutant, ploughing into it with a shoulder charge. But the Super Mutant stood its ground before taking a hand off its weapon to knock Mason to the ground with a resonating thud.

"Hahaha! Puny metal man is weak bug! Me stomp weak bug!" the mutant garbled, raising a foot into the air about to crush Mason's head.

A loud bang came from the top of Moriarty's Saloon as a sniper rifle bullet tore through the air before hitting the Super Mutant's raised kneecap, shattering the bone, tearing the ligaments and rending its yellowed flesh.

_Luck: 10_

The mutant raised its leg higher and clutched at its wound, roaring in total agony as it dropped its Fat Man. Mason swung his super sledge into the mutant's other knee, smashing it to bits and causing the mutant to fall to the ground. Spurred on by adrenaline, Mason jumped to his feet and brought both hammers down on the mutant's skull, staining the ground crimson flecked with white bone and grey matter.

Mason looked up at the top of Moriarty's Saloon where Gob lowered the sniper rifle and gave a cheeky salute as behind him rested the corpse of his former employer, a 44 sized bullet hole in his forehead and a rusted kitchen knife in his hand. Mason returned the salute and returned to fighting the other mutants that threatened their home.

Gob turned around from his position and scoped in on the fight at the south of Megaton. The mutants were still advancing, but the Militia soldiers were retreating! It seemed that the Brotherhood had deigned it necessary to use some of the Lone Wanderer's weapons.

"Alright, now don't screw this up! We practiced this with sacks of scrap, so you should know how to use it!" Paladin Free barked as the Knight lifted up the Lone Wanderer's modified Fat Man. "Fire!"

The Knight fired, sending eight mini nukes straight at the one of the Behemoths. The combined force of all eight miniature nuclear explosions was enough to totally obliterate the Behemoth's chest and send it tumble backwards onto the ground. The other Super Mutants turned to look at what just happened and a victorious cheer rose up from both the Militia and Brotherhood soldiers.

Paladin Free picked his jaw off the floor and looked back at the Knight. "Do that again."

"I'd love to sir, but that was all the Mini-Nukes we brought with us." The Knight shrugged remorsefully. "Though if I may say so sir, that was fucking awesome."

"Granted soldier." Free muttered in awe as the mushroom clouds cleared from the air.

The remaining Behemoths roared in fury and advanced faster and the Militia poured out of Megaton again, weapons at the ready. Once again, the Gnome Cannon and Fusion Mortars blazed, carving a destructive swathe through the oncoming Super Mutants.

As morning began to dawn over the wasteland, the Super Mutants began to draw closer around Megaton. The strength and bravado of the Militia began to fade as they did, and worse still they were beginning to run out of ammunition.

Overseeing the battle, Simms saw the steadily advancing Super Mutants shred people with minigun fire, bat them away with their nail boards and toss them around like ragdolls. Sprinting over to the north side, Simms shouted at the Armoured Units. "All of you, get to the south gate! Mason, we need you urgently!"

Mason tore his sledgehammer out of a fallen Super Mutant's skull and saluted. "Sir!"

As the Heavy Armour Unit began to move, Simms heard another calm set of footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Dogmeat sitting patiently awaiting orders.

Simms tousled Dogmeat's ears before pointing out to the battlefield. "Dogmeat, go help Mason!"

The Lone Wanderer's faithful hound barked and dashed off as the Militia and Brotherhood fired an endless volley of lead at the wounded Behemoth. The injured giant roared as each slug bored deeper into its flesh, but kept advancing. Another shot from the Gnome Cannon collided with the Behemoth's head, the payload blowing the Behemoth's head clean off its massive shoulders and crushing several Super Mutants as its giant carcass fell.

As the Behemoth crashed to the ground, Mason and his team arrived at the south gate.

"Alright, let's kill these mutants!" Mason shouted as he launched himself into the fray.

"Hell yeah!" Jericho screamed as he charged the Super Mutants, bullets spraying from his chattering assault rifle. That was the case until it jammed.

Jericho looked down at the offending casing just long enough for a Super Mutant to smash a nail board into his side, splintering the nail board but knocking Jericho to the ground. Tossing the broken weapon over its shoulder, the Super Mutant walked towards the downed Jericho, whose assault rifle was just out of reach. The mutant was about to bring its foot down onto Jericho to crush him, but it roared in pain as a railway spike lodged itself into its foot. Leo spear tackled the mutant to the ground before plunging his fist straight into the mutant's ribcage, turning its heart to pulp. Leo ripped his hand from the dead mutant and shook off some of the blood as Jericho got to his feet.

"Okay, now I'm starting to respect you." Jericho said begrudgingly.

"Less talking, more fighting!" Alex roared as she caved a Super Mutant's teeth in with the stock of her Combat Shotgun before blowing its head off with the business end.

Mason charged through the Super Mutants, shouldering past any that got in his way as he raced towards the steadily advancing Behemoths. Dogmeat ran through the battlefield as he caught up to Mason, running along beside him. As a Super Mutant got in Mason's way, he used his sledgehammer to break one of its shins before kicking it in the face with his studded boots when he noticed something. The force of his last strike had been the final straw for his old and faithful sledgehammer, and the steel head was buried in the busted shin of the dead Super Mutant. Tossing the shaft away, Mason kept running at the remaining Behemoth. Dogmeat darted around the cumbersome giants, tearing at their tendons with his vicious teeth. Mason dodged around their strikes in a similar fashion until he was at the same place as Dogmeat, who had exposed a large tendon with his sharp teeth.

_Strength: 7 (+)_

Putting the Super Sledge onto his back, Mason gripped the tendon and pulled as hard as he could, eventually causing it to snap in his hands. The Behemoth let out a teeth-rattling screech before it fell to its knees where a volley of Fusion Mortar shots rendered it lifeless. Another cheer went up as everyone turned their attention to the final Behemoth that advanced on Megaton.

"Well done Mason, but now it's time to show you citizens what the Brotherhood of Steel is capable of." Paladin Free smirked. "All units, kill that Behemoth!"

"All units, target the final Behemoth! We've almost got this won!" Commander Simms ordered.

The Brotherhood of Steel troops ran towards the giant Behemoth, picking up the miniguns left behind by the fallen Super Mutants and turning their hail of bullets against them. The final Behemoth staggered as innumerable 5mm rounds dug into its flesh before one final blast from the Gnome Cannon finished it off for good. As the Super Mutant Behemoth fell to the ground, the Militia and the Brotherhood cheered in triumph over the broken corpses of the innumerable Super Mutants.

The battle had only lasted a few hours. And they'd won.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

"Yeeeeeeehaaaaaw! This is Three Dog coming straight to your eardrums with a loud and proud special announcement! You remember those crazy wackjobs in Megaton? The settlement that was attacked by an army of Super Mutants? Well, guess what? They fuckin' won! With the help of the boys and girls of the Brotherhood of Steel, the Megaton Militia managed to kill every last mutie that came their way, including four motherfucking Behemoths! Have you ever seen a Behemoth? They're as big and tough as a fuckin' two story building! They had a cannon that shot exploding garden gnomes! I wish I could make this shit up! Thanks for listenin' chiii-"

Mason flicked off the radio and lay back in his bed. It was a huge victory alright, but that didn't mean it was all good. What Three Dog failed to cover in his report of the situation was that there were piles of dead Super Mutants rotting outside the town creating the foulest stench in the world, they had many wounded townsfolk that needed to recover and there was still their agreement with the Brotherhood. When the celebrations started, Commander Simms and Paladin Free had shut themselves in the Militia HQ. After staring at the ceiling for a while more, Mason looked at the imposing power armour he wore and stared into the visor of his helmet. Getting from his bed, Mason left his house and made his way to the Militia HQ.

When he opened the door, Mason saw that Simms and Free were in a very heated argument.

"-ou want to leave Megaton defenceless?! What if those mutants come back, huh? We need those weapons to keep us safe!" Simms argued.

"The Brotherhood of Steel cannot allow this kind of technology to fall into the wrong hands." Free said stonily.

"And whose hands, exactly, are wrong?" Simms asked exasperatedly.

"Raiders. Bandits. Enclave. Anyone who isn't the Brotherhood of Steel." Free glowered. "Now I suggest you get your troops to dismantle that cannon, give us those mortars and hand over all schematics you've made or else-"

"Or else what?" Mason asked, slamming the door behind him.

"Ah, Mason. Just the man I wanted to see." Free said, turning to the scavenger turned hero. "It's time to give up that shiny suit of yours, Mason. You made an agreement with the Brotherhood of Steel."

"I agreed to hand over the Rhino Suit. We didn't agree to dismantle the town's defences for you." Mason said.

"Funny. You don't seem to be in any position to argue." Free said with a nasty grin. "If you resist then all I'm obliged to do is change a few words in my report and this town becomes a crater. You've got plenty of wounded, low ammunition reserves, and last I checked your ace in the hole was out of commission."

'Fighting the good fight? Yeah right.' Mason thought.

"So I suggest you back down now." Free said domineeringly.

The door creaked open again as the others turned to see George in the doorway leaning on a crutch, a holotape recorder in his other hand. He was also, for some reason, still in his power armour. "Funny you should mention that Free. Although I suppose you would trust the word of a medic who, 'accidentally' tried to pump me full of Radscorpion venom instead of Med-X. I taught him a quick lesson on the differences between Radscorpion venom and medicine. He'll live."

"What the hell are you-" Free started.

"Save it Free." George snapped. "Now I'm sure you know that I'm the one who helped lead the assault on the Enclave when they took over the Lincon Memorial. And I singlehandedly destroyed Raven Rock. And saved the only scientists that could get Project Eden up and running again."

"Just where are you going with this?" Free demanded.

"The point is that the Brotherhood of Steel owes me, big time." George said. "Not only that, but you just threatened to destroy me home, exterminating hundreds of people. Brotherhood or no, I simply can't allow that kind of genocide to happen. So here's the deal Free. You return all of my guns that you borrowed, you leave with the Rhino Suit and you go back to DC and leave Megaton alone. Or I'm going to march straight up to Elder Lyons and give him the holotape I just recorded of that entire conversation."

Free glared at George furiously. "Fine." He spat. "Just don't expect the Brotherhood to come running to help you when you get in shit again."

As Free turned on his heel and marched indignantly through the door, Mason chuckled. "Somehow, I don't think that we'll need the help."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

The next day, Mason said goodbye to his Rhino Suit, the heavy lump of metal that changed not only him, but the entire town of Megaton. Running a hand over the yellow stripes, he closed the lid and let the six Brotherhood Knights around him lift it up into the Brahmin cart. It took them a great effort, and when they finally loaded it into the cart, one of the Knights turned to Mason.

"How the hell did you manage to wear this thing?" she asked.

Mason shrugged. "I read the manual. How else?"

As the cart started moving the Brotherhood of Steel members moved out on their way back to DC. Shaking his head, Mason made his way over to Gob's Saloon, where the ghoul bartender was making a great deal of caps from all the celebrating Militia members. Amongst them was George, who invited Mason to take a seat with him. Mason almost couldn't recognise him, as it was the first time he'd seen what he looked like under the helmet.

"Hey George. Thanks for getting rid of Free. If you didn't step in that whole thing could've turned ugly." Mason said as Gob sidled up to the two, idly wiping a glass in his hand.

"So what can I get you two?" Gob asked.

"I think I deserve a glass of scotch." George said.

"You still got that bottle of Quantum you were saving?" Mason asked.

"Sure do." Gob nodded.

"I'll have that then." Mason said. "How much do I owe you?"

"For you two, it's on the house." Gob said, putting the bottles and glasses onto the bar. "God knows it's the very least I could do to repay you. You fellas saved the town after all."

"Yeah, I guess we did." Mason nodded.

As the two heroes took a swig from their beverages, the cheers and celebrations continued around them.

"I think you owe me a Nuka Cola by the way." George said with a cheeky grin.

"You noticed?" Mason asked, genuinely surprised.

"Dogmeat told me." George said.

Mason and George laughed before taking another drink.

"You've changed, you know." George said.

"Yeah?" Mason asked.

"Yeah." George nodded. "You're not just some scavver anymore. You're a hero now Mason. You're one of the leaders of the Megaton Militia. Not to mention you helped save not just Megaton, but probably the Brotherhood of Steel and the whole of the Capital Wasteland. You've grown."

Mason looked at his glowing drink and grinned. "Yeah, I guess I have."

_You have 12 skill points remaining._


End file.
